Controllable synthesis of CdS/WO3 heterostructures with enhanced photoelectrochemical performance

Abstract

With the increasing energy and environmental problems, photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting has recently attracted a great deal of attention. Herein, we report the facile synthesis of CdS/WO₃ heterostructures as high-performance photoanodes for PEC water splitting. CdS/WO₃ heterostructures are successfully prepared on F doped SnO₂ glass substrates by a two-step process, which involves a hydrothermal growth and electrochemical deposition process. In comparision to pristine WO₃ nanostructures, CdS/WO₃ heterostructures exhibit substantially high harvesting ability. The CdS/WO₃ heterostructures yield a significant photocurrent density of 1.8 mA cm⁻² at 0 V vs. Ag/AgCl, which is substantially higher than that of bare WO₃ and CdS electrodes. These findings will open up new opportunities to develop other efficient solar-light-driven photocatalytic cells.